LOCAL Stages, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre's performing arts development program, will present Dolores, by Edward Allan Baker, at the Ponton Theatre, CSU over March 14 and 15.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The one-act play, a portrait of sisters caught in repeating patterns of domestic abuse, runs for 45 minutes.
It addresses the difficulties women can experience when speaking out and the barriers they face in accessing support.
Although the play is set in Rhode Island on paper, the theme has strong resonance nationally and locally.
Producing and performing, Millie and Edwina Samuels hope to use the play as a platform for a conversation about and awareness of domestic violence.
Particularly, they hope to raise awareness of the support available in Australia, and how to access it, particularly in Bathurst.
They have partnered with White Ribbon Australia to bring the drama and its message to more audiences, donating a portion of profits to White Ribbon and local charities.
Intimate and dramatic, the play received rave reviews.
Bathurst is just one stop on a whirlwind tour of regional NSW, assisted by connections with Local Stages at BMEC and support from CSU.
Local women’s health services will be involved, presenting and collecting donations at the shows.
Originally from Dubbo but now both at home in the big smoke, the Samuels sisters knew their show was ready for regional audiences after a successful season in Sydney.
Intimate and dramatic, the play received rave reviews. The acclaimed Audrey Journal wrote: “Having Sandra and Dolores played by sibling actors is a rare treat and Edwina and Millie Samuels are very good in their roles, delivering incredibly detailed performances.”
The timing of their tour will see it in Bathurst exactly a week after our International Women’s Day celebrations.
Exploring women’s issues and gender specific barriers at the women’s day events will prime audiences for the deeper conversations on domestic violence in the play.
Bathurst Regional Council will host Balance and Bubbles in Machattie Park on Friday, March 8 and BMEC will once again stream the Sydney Opera House’s All About Women in the theatre on Sunday, March 10. Both events are free.
Find tickets to Dolores and information about All About Women at www.bmec.com.au.
For more information on International Women’s Day, visit www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au